Golf balls



May 26, 1964 F. MUCCINO GOLF BALLS Filed Jan. 19, 1961 INVEN TOR. LOU/.5 F. Muccnvo United States Patent ()fiice 3,134,598 Patented May 26, 1964 3,134,598 GOLF BALLS Louis F. Muccino, Blind Brook Lodge, Rye, NY. Filed Jan. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 83,627 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-227) This invention relates to golf balls.

Golf balls, :as customarily manufactured, usually comprise a small spherical core which is surrounded by a layer of rubber strand wound thereon under tension, which, in turn, is surrounded by a layer of molded cover material.

The qualities and characteristics of golf balls are importantly influenced by the layer of tensioned strand, and manufacturers of golf balls give considerable attention to the characteristics of the rubber strand, as well as to the tension applied to the strand during the winding operation. In general, it is true that for any given rubber strand, the greater the tension applied during the winding operation, the higher the compression within the ball, the more lively the ball and the greater the distance travelled by the ball when subjected to a given driving impact by a golf club.

Golf ball manufactureres, therefore, in making top quality balls, tend to wind the strand at maximum tension permissible within the tensile strength of the rubber, thus producing a high compression ball. Such balls are favored by expert golfers, particularly those who hit a long ball,. but many less expert golfers, or those who have neither the strength nor the ability to hit a long ball find such high compression balls hard and undesirable. They prefer a softer ball, and manufacturers have sometimes attempted to meet this need by winding the rubber strand at less than maximum tension to produce balls of less compression. This has been done, however, at some sacrifice of the maximum potential for driving distance, and such balls have not been satisfactory.

In my prior copending application Serial No. 46,333, filed August 1, 1960, I have proposed to form a golf ball by winding simultaneously two strands of different characteristics, i.e. one stnand of very high tensile strength but relatively low elongation, and one strand of lesser tensile strength, but relatively greater elongation. In winding such strands of different characteristics, I proposed various methods of winding, as for example, applying maximum permissible tension to each strand by stretching each strand to its maximum permissible elongation, or applying less than maximum tension to one strand, as by applying maximum permissible tension to the strand of higher tensile strength and substantially less than maximum permissible tension to the strand of lower tensile strength. Alternatively, I proposed applying less than maximum permissible tension to both strands. By choosing among these alternatives, I have been able to produce a variety of degrees of hardness and I have found that by using strands of different characteristics I obtain a ball of greater liveliness for any given compression than is obtained from a ball of the same compression wound from a single strand.

According to the present invention I propose to form a golf ball by winding simultaneously two strands of similar characteristics, but in winding such strands, I propose to apply substantially less tension to one strand than is applied to the other. Thus, I propose to apply to one of said strands a tension which is only from 50% to 90% of the tension applied to the other stnand. Preferably, I apply maximum permissible tension to one strand by stretching it to substantially its maximum permissible elongation and I apply substantially less tension to the other strand by stretching it to substantially less than its maximum permissible elongation.

I have found that by winding balls in this manner,

2 although I attain compression values less than those obtainable by winding a single strand at maximum permissible tension by stretching it to substantially its maximum permissible elongation, I obtain a ball which compares fiavorably in performance to the higher compression ball. That is, I obtain a ball which when subjected to a given driving impact travels nearly as far as the higher compression ball when subjected to the same driving impact. Moreover, I obtain a ball which travels considerably further than a single strand ball of equal compression, when subjected to the same driving impact.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which,

The figure is a side elevation of a partially wound golf ball as it appears during the winding operation, partly in section to show the interior of the ball.

Example Two strands of rubber thread 1 and 2 were selected which had been made from rubber of identical characteristics. Each strand was .017" in thickness and A in width, and had the following physical characteristics:

Tensile strength 3300 p.s.i. Elongation 1000 percent Specific gravity .95

Modulus of elasticity 5G0%-200* p.s.i. Schwartz test 165.

Two of the said strands 1 and 2 were wound simultaneously around a conventional so-called liquid center core 3 having an outside diameter of 1% Each strand was led to the winding station through a separate tensioning device 4, 5 so that the tension applied to each strand might be separately controlled. The winding machine used was conventional except for the provision of two tensioning devices. One of the tensioning devices was adjusted to apply substantially maximum permissible tension to one strand, by elongating it approximately l000%. The other tensioning device was adjusted to apply less tension by elongating it approximately 700%. The ball was wound to an outside diameter of 1.59" and a balata cover was then applied to bring the ball to the standard outside diameter of 1.62".

The finished covered ball was tested and found to have a compression of to The finished covered ball was then subjected to a driving test in comparison with a conventional ball made from a single strand of the same rubber from which the ball of Example 1 was made. In this case a single strand :was wound around a conventional liquid center core like that of Example 1 with a tensioning device adjusted to apply substantially maximum tension. This ball had a compression of 90.

In driving tests in which the two balls were driven repeatedly, the ball of Example 1 made according to the present invention nearly equalled the performance of the conventional ball as to flight distance when subjected to substantially equal driving impact, being only one to five yards short 'of the conventional ball.

The finished covered ball was also subjected to a driving test in comparison with another ball made from a single strand of the same rubber from which the ball of Example 1 was made. In this case a single strand was wound around a conventional liquid center core like that of Example 1, but the tensioning device was adjusted to apply less than maximum tension. This ball had a compression of 75. g

In driving tests in which the two balls were driven repeatedly, the ball of Example '1 made according to the present invention consistently outdistanced the single strand ball when subjected to substantially equal driving 3 impact, the flight distance of the ball of Example 1 being from ten to thirty yards longer than that of the other ball.

It will be understood that the invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention:

'1. A golf ball comprising a spherical core, a layer of tensioned rubber surrounding said core, and a cover surrounding said layer of tensioned rubber, said layer of tensioned rubber comprising two separate tensioned strands of rubber of similar characteristics, one of said strands being under substantially less tension than the other strand, each of said strands extending throughout said layer.

2. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1 in which one of said separate strands is subjected to substantially maximum permissible tension, and the other of said strands is subjected to substantially less tension.

'3. A golf ball as claimed in claim 1 in which one of said separate strands is subjected to substantially maximum permissible tension, and the other of said strands is subjected to from 50% to 90% of the tension applied to the first strand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,060,380 Pym Nov. 10, 1936 2,153,408 Bogoslowsky Apr. 4, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 526.772 Great Britain Sept. 25, 1940 

1. A GOLF BALL COMPRISING A SPHERICAL CORE, A LAYER OF TENSIONED RUBBER SURROUNDING SAID CORE, AND A COVER SURROUNDING SAID LAYER OF TENSIONED RUBBER, SAID LAYER OF TENSIONED RUBBER COMPRISING TWO SEPARATE TENSIONED STRANDS OF RUBBER OF SIMILAR CHARACTRISTICS, ONE OF SAID STRANDS BEING UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY LESS TENSION THAN THE OTHER STRAND, EACH OF SAID STRANDS EXTENDING THROUGHOUT SAID LAYER. 